Pages

With all of the freezing cold weather that we have been having over the last few weeks I have been in full on soup mode and I have been trying some new ones. By far my favourite so far is this soup from the description of one of the soups of the day at Porchetta & Co here in Toronto. The soup was described as containing cabbage, double smoked bacon, sausage and white beans and it was topped with a garnish of grainy mustard. I was immediately sold on the idea and I knew that I would have to try the soup! The only problem was that as a daily soup I could not count on it being there when I went so I decided to make it myself.

I started out by cooking some hot Italian sausage long with the double smoked bacon in a saucepan to start building up the flavour. I then moved on to the soup trinity of onions, celery and carrots which I cooked in the rendered bacon grease followed by healthy dose of garlic. The soup was described as being creamy and since it also contained beans I decided to get some of the creaminess by pureeing half of the beans in a food processor so that I would be able to cut back a bit on the heavy cream. To maximize the flavour I use a homemade chicken stock which was pretty much the final piece of the soup.

This creamy cabbage and double smoked bacon soup is easy to make and it is just packed with flavour! The beans add a really nice creaminess to the soup and I especially enjoy the smokiness that the bacon adds. I have been hooked on grainy mustard ever since I discovered it a while ago and using it in soups is particularly nice. In the past I have simply mixed a tablespoon or so directly into the soup but using it as a garnish on the soup like I did here was also amazing! Luckily I have enough of this tasty soup leftover to keep me warm for the rest of the week!

Creamy Cabbage and Double Smoked Bacon Soup

A hearty creamy soup with double smoked bacon, sausage and cabbage that is just packed with flavour.

Directions

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat add the sausage and cook until cooked, about 7-10 minutes, breaking it up as you go and set it aside.

Add the bacon to the same pan and cook until the fat renders, about 7-10 minutes and set it aside reserving 1 tablespoon of grease in the pan.

Add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.

Puree half of the beans in a food processor with some of the chicken stock.

Add the chicken stock, sausage, bacon, beans, pureed beans, cabbage, oregano and bay leaf and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, mix in the cream and parsley and remove from heat.

Serve garnished with grainy mustard.

Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1 & 2, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, place everything except the cream and parsley in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the cream and parsley.

A tasty looking recipe made with cabbage! Thanks for posting this--I am always looking for cabbage recipes, but they don't often sound very good. This one sounds delicious. Also, thanks for your Thai lemon shrimp posting. I made it for my husband for Valentine's day and he loved it. Hope you don't mind, but I linked to your blog from mine. http://dangerkittenbakes.blogspot.com

Oh YUMM Kevin! This one really appeals to me. I love cabbage soup - childhood comfort food, and this version looks amazing. I have tried many of your recipes to great success and can't wait to make this one!xo

What an incredible-lookings soup this is. Just perfect for the cold weather we're having here in the UK this week. Those are some of my favourite flavours and garnishing with the grainy mustard is a really original idea. I love it!

This sounds sooooo good! I've been craving bacon, and I have some cabbage I need to use. The weather is nice and mild here in Alabama, but I like soup anytime. Now I just need the energy to go to the store and cook :)

Double Smoked Bacon ... let me just take that in. The soup sounds delightful! I know some of the best soups I have made have been inspired by flavors I had out. I love taking those flavors and making them my own!

I just had to write and let you know I tried this recipe today...well it was the inspiration for my soup. I used chorizo instead of italian sausage because that is what I had. Also, I added the rind from a parmigiano reggianoThis soup is excellent especially with the addition of the cream. This is a keeper.

I ACTUALLY made this soup tonight (not just drooled over the picture), and it tastes just as good as it looks! My husband loves it! It was wonderful--loved the mustard! If you stir in the mustard, you get the taste with each bite, and the grains pop between your teeth...so good.

I've been following your blog for a while now and tried many recipes. Every single recipe has turned out fantastically for a mediocre cook like me. Please keep posting because I absolutely love your ideas!

Anonymous: Double smoked bacon is a smoked bacon that went through the smoker two times. Any smoked bacon will work though. Grainy mustard is a mustard where all of the grains of mustard have not been ground into a paste. You should be able to find the grainy mustard in most grocery stores in with the other mustards. (I commonly use the Maille brand.) I use cannellini beans but any white bean such as Great Northern and Navy would also work.

Kevin, just made a chicken veg soup, cooking right now and just came across this recipe - this one I will have to make down the road-weather here in Alberta has been cold-minus 17 - soup weather, just have to make sure to pick up the sausage and other stuff for it, Question for you - have you ever tried "orzo" I just picked up a package and want to cook it in a tomato sauce base for a casserole with left over cooked chicken, but I keep coming across the way to cook it "follow the direction on the package to cook it" thanks and keep up the great blogging.Germaine

Oh wow....I've been meaning to make this for days and I finally got the chance this evening. What an incredible soup! Definitely making it again. A huge hit with the whole family :) I didn't have celery but I subbed in Bok Choy (added the leafy parts later on so they wouldn't get super mushy) and it's delicious! Thanks!

This soup was even better than you made it look. I made it last night and we both loved it. It is, of course, even better today. The grainy mustard just made the soup! Only regret is not making a double batch... I'm thinking of making your "Hungarian Mushroom Soup" today.... and if I can find the last ingredients locally (gochugaru and mochi) I will be starting your Kimchi 2.0 recipe today!

just made this tonight. was fantastic. I had added some parmesan cheese just b/c it was sitting in the fridge and seemed like it would pair well, and it was fantastic.

I could see replacing the meats for strong smoky cheeses for a vegetarian version - maybe gouda and parmesan. also thinking cauliflower could be a good addition - especially for a vegetarian version as it would add some better texture.

also, you cut out some of the cream for extra beans, but people who are on a diabetes or ketogenic diet could go the other way - go halfsies on the beans (I used 1 can beans for a double recipe, and it was still wonderful) and add the cheese and cream for thickening.

Post a Comment

About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.